Springfield-style Cashew Cauliflower

I love my hometown of Springfield, MO. I suspect that many people feel similar, and I guess since it’s where I grew up, I am a little biased. BUT, it’s also a really awesome city. AND we’ve got some pretty major claims to fame.

1. It’s where Brad Pitt is from. (!!!!!)

2. It’s the home of Springfield-style (the only style if you ask me) Cashew Chicken.

I grew up eating (and loving) cashew chicken. Also, fun fact, the restaurant credited with creating the original recipe (Leong’s) is where my parents had their first date back in the day. 🙂

Anyway, love cashew chicken. Only problem, I don’t really eat chicken. I prefer a mostly plant-based diet for health reasons, and I don’t like to support factory farming for moral reasons. But I still love cashew chicken. So, I decided it was time to find a solution to this life crisis. (OK, maybe it’s not a life “crisis”, but I do sincerely miss this childhood favorite!)

After having a General Tso cauliflower dish while in NYC with Elsie late last year, I realized it would be super simple to swap out the chicken for cauliflower so long as I worked on figuring out an easy homemade version of the sauce. I also decided to bake (rather than fry) the cauliflower and to serve it with brown rice for added nutrition. So although I don’t know if everyone would consider this dish “healthy”, as that word can have so many meanings, it’s certainly a lighter version of a favorite guilty-pleasure dish.

Have I convinced you yet? If not, let me just say, this is seriously SO delicious. It does take a bit of work, but it can still come together in around 30 minutes and is SO WORTH IT. I promise.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the bottom leaves and stem from the cauliflower head and cut into small florets. In a bowl, stir together the flour and milk. In another bowl, place the bread crumbs. Dip the cauliflower pieces in the flour mix, then in the bread crumbs. Then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and coated in the olive oil. Once you’ve dipped all the cauliflower pieces, bake for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the rice according to the package directions. I cheated and used a rice cooker. 🙂

During the last 10 minutes of the cauliflower cook time, make the sauce. In a small to medium size pot, combine the sesame oil and minced garlic over medium heat. Cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients: oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, onion powder, red pepper flakes (if using), and cornstarch. Give that a good whisk. Then slowly add the vegetable stock. The mixture may appear very thin at first, but keep cooking over medium heat and it will thicken up (like gravy). Once it reaches the desired thickness, remove from heat. Taste and add salt or more soy if you think it needs it.

Once everything is ready, layer on the rice, baked cauliflower, sauce, cashews, and then green onions. Serve hot.

A couple of notes about this dish:

-If you want to make this 100% vegetarian, be sure to use vegetarian oyster sauce as not all oyster sauce is.

-If you don’t care about keeping this 100% vegetarian, you just want to use cauliflower to get more veggies in your day, then you can also swap out the vegetable stock with chicken stock if you prefer. I’d recommend seeking out something organic and free range if possible if you go this route.

Thanks for letting me share a lightened up childhood favorite with you guys. Also, if you try this and like the cauliflower, then you will probably like this Hot Cauliflower Pizza too as the cooking method is very similar. Viva la Springfield! xo. Emma

Oooh this sounds so yummy! My sister sent me a picture of some cauliflower “mashed potatoes” she made the other day, and I was just thinking how I should experiment making recipes with it. Saving this to make FO SHO.http://www.wonderlandsam.com

I live in Uganda, where finding ingredients for recipes is such a challenge. But today, I happen to have cauliflower AND cashews – so I guess I will have to try this (minus the oyster sauce and subbing white rice – but hey, that’s pretty good for here)! Thanks!